Train to Pakistan (1956)

Train to Pakistan was originally written by Khushwant Singh* in 1956 but my Kindle edition, published by Penguin, was produced in 2016. The digital edition is 190 pages long and the novel comprises of four chapters. I read this for my university course in an attempt to explore partition literature. I'll discuss the writing style and literary devices as well as bias and political motives for independence.

The novel is set in a Sikh village on the Indian side of the newly-created border and has a mixed population of Sikhs and Muslims; they all live happily and harmoniously together. The village is "Sikh" in that all the land belongs to Sikhs, while Muslims only work on the land or have other trades. The interfaith love affair is controversially that of a young Sikh man and a Muslim girl, which may be considered a metaphor for the male power over women suggesting a sense of domination just as the land is owned by the Sikhs. 

Part of my analysis has me searching for bias and balance in my readings. Singh begins his novel diplomatically, noting that all parties involved contributed to the bloodshed and harm during the partition. However, I noticed that Muslims, in the novel, committed grave crimes while the Sikhs committed fewer crimes or only expressed the desire, motivation and attempts to retaliate equally or with twice as much force. In the end the violence appears to be realised by Muslims and only desired by Sikhs. In this way I felt there was a disproportion, yet I'm sure there were equally heroes and villains on both sides and the crimes equally heinous. 

An interesting political remark was that Indian (and Pakistani) Independence was a movement for the rich Indians, who would be thus allowed to replace the British in higher governmental positions. The poorer members of society, including peasants, had little to gain and history shows us just how much they lost, including their lands and lives. The contrast in motivation for Independence highlights the disconnect between social classes amongst Indians themselves. 

I found the writing style to be fairly stiff and simple. Oftentimes I felt that the expressions and dialogue did not sit well in English yet when I thought about them in Punjabi, they sounded better. I suppose they were not well translated to capture the right tone. I noted that Rushdie did this well in Midnight's Children. The use of Iqbal as a foreign-educated youth was an effective way to introduce Western impressions in contrast to the Indian peasant world. He also functions as a connecting figure to a Western audience and mentality. There is a pretty linear plot, although Singh does play with chronology in his first chapter. 

Overall, I found that the novel's language was not its strength but rather its historical significance is what makes it a valuable addition to partition literature. It is a tribute to all the unknown heroes in times of intense conflict. Train to Pakistan was one of Singh's earlier writings so perhaps his later works adopted a more complex style. 

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*While Khushwant Singh was born into a Sikh family, apparently (Wikipedia notes) he adopted an agnostic/ atheist-inclined worldview later in his life. I do not know whether this novel was written before or after his change of faith and whether this affected or would have affected his work. 

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017)

This post is long overdue but I needed to think about the novel for some time before compiling any sort of review. In all honesty I feel like I shouldn't really write one until I read the novel again but that seems like it will be many months away considering my current schedule and reading list. For the reason of not wanting to delay it any further, I'm now making my attempt at this review.

For the record this is Arundhati Roy's second novel, after an immense gap of 20 years (see note) and was published by Hamish Hamilton (Penguin) in 2017. The hardback copy is 445 pages including acknowledgements and 438 without, making it a pretty chunky read; I can't say I didn't wish I had it in a kindle edition just for that reason (there is one by the way). The novel is divided into 12 chapters, plus a short passage prior to chapter one. I will discuss her style as well as some of the key issues or themes she deals with, although a blog post is far from sufficient.

Roy begins the novel with a short passage on how consumerism is harming the environment. This issue is revisited especially at the end of the novel, although it is one of many threads and is linked closely to her political stance. She raises so many issues concerning the effects of modernisation, consumerism and capitalism, especially on the poor, which are linked to her arguments from non-fiction.

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness begins in Dehli, India where we follow the story of a transgender woman, Anjum previously Aftab. I found myself quite "settled" into the novel when Roy changes the scene and begins the parallel plot in Kashmir. My knowledge of the Kashmir affair is vague, at best, and Roy illustrates just how much of a nuanced and delicate issue it is. This definitely made it heavy reading despite the captivating narrative and suspense. She is clearly well-informed and has produced an insight into a region that has been in a state of conflict for decades.

In terms of style Roy uses both the first person narrative as well as an omniscient narrator. She uses a very different writing style to The God of Small Things and shifts in chronology (flashbacks and flashforwards) thus allowing the reader to recreate the order of events. Her writing is full of wit, sarcasm and beautiful turns of phrase.; it's a pleasure to read. I believe she used layers of microcosms with Anjum's internal turmoil reflected in Kashmir, which is a microcosm for the problems affecting India, which is in itself a microcosm of the global crises we face.

Roy doesn't shy away from addressing some sensitive yet core social issues. She makes consistent references to the social relationships between Hindus and Muslims in India, including some severe political consequences. She raises awareness on the increased religious discrimination towards Muslims in India and in other parts of the world. One of the ways she made this novel so rich is by including various beliefs and cultures- from shrine visiting to references to jinn and witchcraft and omens- which highlight the complex and nuanced mentalities of the people, which affect how people live with one another in a context of differences.

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is a dark, dense and richly crafted novel. It is about love and heartbreak in the broadest sense and of all types. I struggled with this novel because while it is fiction, it is based on some of the harshest realities and truths of our modern world. It provokes thoughts on who we are in the novel: those who contribute to the conflict and chaos or those who attempt to relieve it. It ends on a note of hope, yet I'm not really sure how hopeful it really is. This is definitely an important read and a reality check packaged in fiction.

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Note: Although Roy hadn't written a novel in a good few years, she was still actively writing non-fiction in the interval. I was fortunate enough to read her Algebra of Infinite Justice last semester and this definitely gave me a grounding in Roy's activist positions and the issues she relates in this monumental piece.

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